US Newbie

[21hearts]

We're doing a short anniversary trip from 8/31 to 9/3 (was suppose to be Disney but I know my DH would prefer US and its cheaper without the kids) and I need all the help I can get. I've been to US once & that was in February of 2011 for one day. We had the kids with us and ended up staying in De Sesus land for 90% of the day with the other 10% being in the super hero area.

I have our hotel & tickets booked for our dates. But I was wondering if the Express pass would be worth it for DH? I'm a ride chicken so it wouldn't be worth it for me. I was thinking that since he's going to be doing a majority of the rides it would be nice to wait an hour for him to do one, then an hour at the next one. But I'm not sure it if gets that busy.

Any help or tips would be great.

Also what exactly is City Walk? Our package says we get City Walk passes. Are these good for one night only? Or for the length of our stay? Is it that area you have to walk through to get to the park? Man I feel dumb. lol.

 

[Bonniec]

Don't buy express pass tickets ahead of time, wait and see what the park is like and then decide. Some days it's not busy and other days it is packed. If you can stay onsite, they come with the hotel so that is always recommended. Plus you can't use them for Forbidden Journey, Hulk, or Pterandadon Flyers.

Dr. Suess and the Superhero land is IOA, not Universal. IOA is a great park but it's mostly thrill rides. So if you don't like thrill rides, you might get bored.

Universal is a bit tamer.



City Walk is a lot like Downtown Disney. It's a series of shops, restaurants, movie theater, and bars that sits in between Universal and IOA. You have to walk through it to get to either park. At night, parts of Citywalk are closed off if you are under 21. The passes will get you into the bars/clubs. During the day it doesn't matter.

 

[21hearts]

Okay thank you! We're booked at an off site partner hotel so no express passes. I think we'll take your idea and wait and see what its like when we get there.

 

[Bonniec]

I think they are crazy priced for what they are. Maybe if you could get on ALL the rides. I think the ones you buy only get you on a ride once too. Waste of money, imo.


A lot of the lines do have a single rider option. That will really help speed things up.

Are you totally set on IOA/US? Sounds sweet that you are going there for your DH, but it doesn't sound like there's much for you. Kinda stinks to spend most of your anniversary waiting for him. IOA is probably my favorite park, but it's definately for thrill lovers.


What about Sea World? There's a lot to do there as well. My DH (a thrill lover) loves Sea World the most. Manta is an amazing coaster, and there would be a lot for you to see and do as well. Just a thought.

 

[21hearts]

I really don't mind waiting for him. I'd do it anyways if we go to Disney, Busch Gardens or Sea World. We both want to check out Universal but our kids are too young for a lot of it (they are 4,3 and 20 months). We are planning on going to a park, then going to Wet N Wild in the afternoon and then going back to the park at night one day.

 

[glocon]

You can actually use the EP on the Hulk, but not on the Rip Ride Rockit. And you can only use the purchased EP once per ride. If your husband will be going on rides by himself, than I wouldn't get one, he could just use the single rider line. Save the $$$.

 

[macraven]

the dates you listed for your trip fall in a time period that has lower crowds.
i doubt there will be hour long waits for all the rides.

the line waits should not be bad except if you go on a saturday.
if saturday has great weather, many locals do the parks.


don't ever buy the epp in advance.

wait until you are in the park to make that decision.
the epp's are non refundable, date and park related.
if it would rain the day you are in the park, crowds thin out quickly.


your husband can use the single rider lines if they are open.
spiderman usually opens that SLR if the regular line is lengthy in wait.
there are other rides that offer slr.

check out www.universalorlando.com
see the layout of the park and what rides/shows might interest you.
lot of stuff to find out in advance before your trip.
you might find somethings you would enjoy doing with your spouse.

go and have fun on your anniversary trip!

 

[Seeker615]

We went the exact time last year and did not need to buy an Express pass. The longest wait I think was maybe 20 minutes. Just get there at opening and enjoy! We had a great trip.

 

[Metro West]

We went the exact time last year and did not need to buy an Express pass. The longest wait I think was maybe 20 minutes. Just get there at opening and enjoy! We had a great trip.

 

[Maytrix]

If he'd be going on without you, he could use the single rider line which will reduce the wait.

One thing to keep in mind about express passes that I think many forget is that if you add the cost of them to your offsite hotel price, you probably aren't so far from what staying onsite would cost - all you need to do is stay one night and you get the pass for 2 days and its unlimited usage, unlike the ones you buy.

It all depends on what you want to do though - if you want to zip through lines and ride as many rides as possible all day long, then its the way to go. If you want to go slow and have time to wait, then its no big deal.

20 minutes may not be a long wait, but do that for 10 rides and that's about 3 hours of waiting.